Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Foreign Minister, inaugurated a new outpatient department (OPD) complex at Dow Hospital’s Ojha campus on Tuesday.
Mr. Bhutto-Zardari was accompanied by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and other officials as he inaugurated the OPD complex, which was built at a cost of Rs500 million, and performed the groundbreaking ceremony for an oncology unit after planting a tree.
Speaking on the occasion, the PPP chairman congratulated and bestowed his best wishes on the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) and hospital staff for providing quality liver transplant services in the city.
“We can strengthen our healthcare system and improve the delivery of healthcare by joining hands with well-trained human resources. The government has always made an effort to bring an improvement in the healthcare system for the benefit of the common man,” he said.
He also stated that the provincial government would cover the costs of the hospital’s planned 100 liver transplants.
CM Shah stated on the occasion that his government believed that affordable and high-quality healthcare was a fundamental right of every citizen.
“It’s not only ethically and socially imperative, but also a necessary ingredient for sustainable development of our economies and society,” he said, adding that it’s a privilege to stand before healthcare workers who had worked tirelessly to provide quality healthcare, especially during the pandemic.
Mr. Shah stated that the primary challenge for the healthcare system is providing adequate health coverage and equal access to medical services for all.
“When citizens have to pay out of their pockets, they may delay or relinquish necessary treatments, risking their lives or increasing their vulnerability to chronic diseases requiring costly, long-term care,” he observed.
Congratulating the DUHS on the launch of liver transplant services for Sindh residents, he stated that liver diseases were among the leading causes of death in the country and that liver transplantation was frequently the only life-saving treatment option.
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